Siphon and related structure



Oct 1967 E. J. SHARP SIPHON AND RELATED STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 7, 1963 INVENTOR. EDWARD J. SHARP HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofitice 3,347,586 Patented Get. 17, 1967 3,347,586 SIPHON AND RELATED STRUCTURE Edward J. Sharp, Nyssa, Greg, assignor of one-fourth each to Florence S. Powell, Ogden, Utah, Edna L.

Blanch, Nyssa, Greg, and Margorie Ciontz, Kennewich,

Wash.

Filed Oct. 7, 1263, Ser. No. 314,331 2 Claims. (Cl. 294-19) The present invention relates to siphons and related structures therefor and, more particularly, to a new and improved, prime-retaining siphon intended principally for use in agricultural work, and to related structure which enables the easy withdrawal of the siphon from muddy, flooded, or otherwise inconvenient areas, this in order to aid in keeping the siphon primed at all times.

Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide new and improved siphon structure which enjoys the ability to retain a prime of liquid therein during intervals between intermittent use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a siphon which will not'easily become clogged or otherwise rendered inefiicient in its intended purpose to conduct liquid from a suitable source to a ditch or other configurement intended for the reception of liquid.

A further object of the invention is to provide a unique positioning and withdrawing device which may be used in conjunction with the siphon of the present invention in the placement and, alternatively, in the transport thereof; such a device is deemed to be especially useful where muddy, flooded or other inaccessible or inconvenient areas are encountered as contexts for siphon usage.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view of the siphon of the present invention suitably emplaced in water from a ditch or canal to an adjacent ditch or trough; in FIGURE 1 the positioning device is shown in fragmentary view and at its work extremity only, the same grasping the siphon at a selected medial portion thereof preparatory to transport of the siphon in a primed condition to another area.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, partially broken away and partially in section for convenience of illustration, of the emplacement apparatus, indicating a preferred construction thereof.

In FIGURE 1 siphon comprises a hollow siphon tube and a filter 12 atfixed to one end 13 of the siphon tube 11. Siphon tube 11 itself includes a horizontal medial portion 14, a pair of depending leg portions 15 and 16 depending from and integral with medial portion 14, and a pair of upturned foot portions 17 and 18 integral with depending leg portions 15 and 16. It will be seen that the combination of the respective, depending leg portions 15 and 16 with their respective upturned foot portions 17 and 18 enjoy somewhat of a J-configuration.

Extremity 19 is open. Extremity 13 of the siphon, however, is integrally affixed to a filter 12 which preferably takes the form of a closedend cylinder of screen mesh 20 (of larger surface conduction area than the transverse cross-sectional open area of the siphon tube) attached to a funnel-like, fiuted neck 21 integral with or aflixed to siphon tube extremity 13. The siphon tube 11 itself may be made of rubber, neoprene, or other suitable tubing which is rigid or semi-rigidly configured. Neck 21 of filter 12 may be vulcanized, clamped, or otherwise secured to extremity 13 of the siphon tube 11.

In FIGURE 1 the siphon tube and, indeed, the entire siphon 10 is shown communicatively disposed between and substantially within the canal 20' filled with water 21' and the ditch 22 which receives siphoned stream of water 23 from the siphon 10. The filter 12, of course, is composed of a screen mesh as before indicated; hence, by its construction mud, silt, grass, and other debris will not tend to pass through the siphon to clog the same.

The siphon in FIGURE 1 operates as follows. First, it is to be noted that the siphon is of a type such that it may retain a prime once given to it. For initially priming the siphon, the user simply immerses the siphon in water, for example, and then withdraws the same from a painted central part C, preferably, of medial portion 14, so as to insure that the liquid levels in the upturned foot portions 17 and 18 remain substantially in a horizontal plane. Atmospheric pressure exerted upon the fluid through the upturned extremities 13 and 19 will keep the siphon in a balanced or primed condition in which water will not flow out of either extremity. The screen mesh 20, by its large conduction surface area prevents clogging of the siphon in almost any environment.

When the siphon is so primed, then, for the user to transfer some of the Water from canal 20 into ditch 22, he merely deposits the filter 12 and the associated leg of the siphon 10 into the canal 20 so as to immerse extremity 13 therein. The liquid pressure in the canal, when added to atmospheric pressure, causes a flow of the liquid 21 through the siphon and out extremity 19 so that stream of water 21' flows into the ditch 22.

After sufiicient fluid has flown into the ditch or until the siphon is no longer needed, then the siphon is withdrawn in 21 directly vertical manner. This can be accomplished most advantageously by the equipment shown in FIGURE 2 and which is hereinafter referred to as a siphon transport device designated by the numeral 25.

In one embodiment of the invention the siphon trans port device 25 is shown to include a tubular, cylindrical housing 26 having fixed handle portion 27 and partition 28 provided with aperture 29. A collar 30 is supplied the housing 26 and includes ears 31 and 32 which receive pivot pin 33. The latter pivotally engages contoured movable lever finger 34 which serves to grasp the siphon tube of FIGURE 1 in a positive manner. Cross bar 35 is affixed to coller 3i) and includes oppositely contoured fingers 35 and 36' which cooperate with finger lever 34 in releasably grasping the siphon as shown in FIGURE 1.

Translatable shaft 37 is suitably disposed on housing 26, and arm 38 is pivotally secured to clevis 39 thereof by pin 40. Arm 38 is an integral part of bell crank 41, extended handle portion 42 thereof being movable and being shown by the double arrow 43. Pivot pin 44 pivotally journals bell crank 41 to actuate shaft 37 back and forth. A slotted aperture 45 may be provided in arm 38 to accommodate the rotational displacement of handle portion 42. Return compression spring 49 is disposed between partition 28 and collar 50 pinned by pin 51 to shaft 37. Clcvis 52 is pinned to the lever finger 34 by means of pin 53 and, correspondingly, there may be a slotted aperture 54 disposed in the lever finger 34 to provide for the armate movement of finger 34.

The structure as shown in FIGURE 2 operates as follows. At the outset it will be noted that return spring 49, being a compression spring, tends to urge shaft 37 upwardly and handle portion 42 outwardly in the position shown. This upward position of shaft 37 causes the inward movement of lever finger 34 from its open, dotted line configuration 34'.

When the user wishes to employ the device to grasp the siphon 10, for example, in FIGURE 1, then he merely closes the handle portions 27 and 42 by moving handle portion 42 to the right in a clockwise direction so as to open the movable lever finger 34 from fixed fingers 36, 36, Then he is in a position to grasp the siphon as shown in FIGURE 1 and retain the gripping thereof in central area C, without additional hand pressure, until the siphon is removed to another location or stored. In muddy r flooded areas, or in otherwise grassy or problem areas, it is desired to color the medial area C differently from the remainder of the siphon. See FIGURE 1. This colored region will indicate the proper portion of the siphon which is to be gripped by the siphon transport device 25 in FIG- URE 2.

Once the siphon has been removed to a new location, then the device 25 is simply disengaged fromv the siphon by the user urging the handle portions 27 and 42 together so as to urge shaft 27 downwardly and finger 34 outward- 1y, thereby permitting the device 25 to be disengaged from siphon 10. Subsequently, the handle portion 42 is Ie-- leased and, hence, springs outwardly to the position as indicated in FIGURE 2, thereby closing the lever finger 34 to its closed (solid line) position with respect to fingers 36 and 36. It is highly advantageous, for gripping purposes, that the fingers 36, 36 and 34 be eoncavely configured inwardly in the manner shown to facilitate the grasping of the siphon.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A device for medially grasping prime-retaining movable siphons, said device including, in combination, a

fixed, concave finger means for selective disposition against one side of an uppermost portion of the siphon; movable, inwardly concave finger means for disposition against the remaining side of an upper portion of said siphon; means pivoting said inwardly concave finger means to said fixed finger means, fixed handle means spaced from said fixed finger means; elongate means for securing said fixed in the absence of hand pressure applied to said movable.

handle means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 458,614 9/1891 Buddenberg 294-104 1,060,616 5/1913 Murray 137-140 X 1,788,709 l/1931 De Spain 137140 X 2,915,333 12/1959 Koenig 294-104 2,959,184 11/1960 Mahan 137-142 X 2,989,334 6/1961 Browne 294-104 X r FOREIGN PATENTS 434,699 12/1911 France.

M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner.

A. ROSENTHAL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR MEDIALLY GRASPING PRIME-RETAINING MOVABLE SIPHONS, SAID DEVICE INCLUDING, IN COMBINATION, A FIXED, CONCAVE FINGER MEANS FOR SELECTIVE DISPOSITION AGAINST ONE SIDE OF AN UPPERMOST PORTION OF THE SIPHON; MOVABLE, INWARDLY CONCAVE FINGER MEANS FOR DISPOSITION AGAINST THE REMAINING SIDE OF AN UPPER PORTION OF SAID SIPHON; MEANS PIVOTING SAID INWARDLY CONCAVE FINGER MEANS TO SAID FIXED FINGER MEANS, FIXED HANDLE MEANS SPACED FROM SAID FIXED FINGER MEANS; ELONGATE MEANS FOR SECURING SAID FIXED HANDLE MEANS TO SAID FIXED FINGER MEANS; MOVABLE HANDLE MEANS PROXIMATE SAID FIXED HANDLE MEANS, LATERALLY MOVEABLE THERETOWARD, AND PIVOTED TO SAID ELONGATE MEANS; AND MEANS COUPLED TO SAID MOVABLE HANDLE MEANS AND SAID MOVABLE FINGER MEANS MOVING SAID FINGER MEANS IN RESPONSE TO SELECTIVE MOVEMENTS OF SAID MOVABLE HANDLE MEANS. 